Athens, At Last

I waited a long time to go to Athens.

Athens is a short 75-minute flight from Istanbul, and yet I put off going. I thought it would be too SIMILAR to Turkey; every time I had the opportunity to travel, I wanted to visit a destination that felt very different. Like Georgia. Or Serbia. Or Malaysia. It also seemed, in my mind, so very Western European. Of course I have nothing against Western Europe, but my interests definitely lie east.

I was wrong. Athens gets lumped in with Paris and Rome but that’s not quite right. Athens felt more like the region I love, like the backstreets of Belgrade, like the grit of Prague without the baroque, like parts of Turkey. Given Greece’s location and history, this shouldn’t have surprised me– and yet I was surprised. Greece is, after all, sandwiched between the Balkans and Anatolia. Of course it reminded me of these places.

I went to Athens for a conference a year ago, which led to me getting my current wonderful job, which then took me back to Athens in April. So this city I put off visiting is now one I have returned to, and will return to again. Every time I visit, I feel sillier and sillier for not coming sooner.

I worried that the similarities with Turkey would be boring, but instead those similarities are what makes Greece most fascinating to me. There’s a shared history of Ottoman rule between Greece and Turkey, and the cultural overlap is apparent all through Greek cuisine. Even some of the words are the same—in Greece, I knew to say “yes” to lokum (Turkish Delight) and “no” to kokoreci (intestines). I discovered that doughnuts—loukumades in Greek, lokma in Turkish—are much yummier in Athens, hot and light and oozing with honey and cinnamon.

Athens was more distinct from Istanbul than I expected, but there were callbacks to the culture that I love. Drinking Greek coffee (which is the same as Turkish coffee) and playing backgammon in a cafe, dancing to a Greek band that echoed my late nights in Istanbul, shopping at outdoor markets… So many mundane things held a hint of familiarity. Figuring out the similarities and differences and traditions behind them became a passion for me. I wasn’t expecting my knowledge of Turkey to enhance my enjoyment of Athens in that way.

And of course, there’s nothing like standing atop the Acropolis with Athens unfurled at your feet. When I visited last year, I climbed to the top with fellow bloggers and I had no idea what I was actually LOOKING at—and yet still was impressed. The second time, I went with a guide and visited the Acropolis Museum, and the site completely came alive.  There is so much history in Athens, and it was useful to have someone break it down for me.

There’s just something about the way the city feels that made me love it. It’s European, with wide boulevards and café culture. It’s funky, with street art coating Psirri and Exarchia and shouting the voices of the Greek youth. Trees burst with bitter oranges. Markets spill over with glistening octopus and creamy white cheese.

After waiting ages to visit, now I can’t wait to go back.